Ministries Making a Difference
GRACE, World Vision, Set Free Ministries, E3 Partners
GRACE, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, hosted a Facebook Live interview over the weekend with Victor Vieth to discuss how abuse can “impact one’s view of God, the church, and one’s own faith journey.” Vieth is the author of On This Rock: A Call to Center the Christian Response to Child Abuse on the Life and Words of Jesus. GRACE estimates that 1 in 4 men and women have experienced some form of abuse or neglect from within their faith community, and that in the U.S. about two-thirds of children experience at least one “adverse childhood experience,” including abuse.
World Vision USA is on the ground in Texas dispersing clean water, blankets, and generators to communities dealing with power and water outages amidst extreme winter conditions. Of those in Texas who do have power and water, 7 million are still under a boil water alert. Authorities say at least three dozen people have died due to the severe weather throughout the country. World Vision also reached its goal during the pandemic to reach 20 million peoples worldwide with clean water sources—the milestone is part of its larger goal to bring clean water to 50 million people by 2030.
Set Free Ministries has been providing biblical counseling to an increased number of children throughout the pandemic as caseloads for depression and anxiety, at least in part due to isolation and disruptions in routine. The pandemic has been linked to exasperated mental health struggles for many across the country, with opioid addiction increasing by 40 percent over the past year and suicide hotlines showing an increase of 65 percent in calls—mostly from senior citizens and teens—according to WebMD.
E3 Partners, a ministry that works to plant churches led by indigenous leaders, has added virtual mission trips to its arsenal of evangelistic tools. What started as a response to COVID-19-related travel restrictions and health and safety measures has now become a permanent expansion. Virtual teams in the U.S. were originally connected with local missionaries from around the world to encourage and pray with them in real time. As travel restrictions ease, the newest format connects traveling teams with virtual teams in a “hybrid” mission trip format.
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